Essam Sh. Mohamed

Design, simulation and economic analysis of a stand-alone reverse osmosis desalination unit powered by wind turbines and photovoltaics

Abstract The fresh water shortage is a significant problem in many areas of the world such as deserts, rural areas, Mediterranean countries and islands. However, renewable energy potential in these areas is usually high using solar and wind energy. A desalination unit powered by renewable energy sources is a promising solution for this problem. This paper presents the design of a stand-alone hybrid wind-PV system to power a seawater reverse osmosis desalination unit, with energy recovery using a simplified spreadsheet model. A daily and monthly simulation and economic analysis were also performed. The calculated fresh water production cost was 5.2 ϵ/m3, and the realized energy saving was up to 48% when a pressure-exchanger-type energy recovery unit is considered.

Experimental investigation of the performance of a reverse osmosis desalination unit under full- and part-load operation

AbstractSea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination constitutes a successful technology for covering the potable water needs of islands and coastal regions. SWRO units can be combined with renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaic and wind generators. Conventional small scale SWRO units are not often combined with energy recovery devices; however, these devices can decrease drastically the energy consumption of the SWRO units. Furthermore, in the literature there are references which prove that the operation of a desalination unit in part-load conditions can result in lower specific energy consumption compared to full-load operation. This paper presents the simulation and the experimental investigation under full- and part-load conditions of an existing SWRO desalination unit (50 mS/cm feed water) in order for the desalination unit to be optimally utilized in a polygeneration microgrid topology which uses advanced energy management algorithms. The experimental operation of the SWRO Unit in part...

Operating RE/Desalination Units

This chapter presents 10 small standalone RE (renewable energy)/desalination systems operating around the world, employing different technologies, such as PV/RO, solar/MED, etc. The examples show that several technological combinations are well enough developed to provide potable water under harsh conditions in isolated sites. However, even established technologies face problems and limitations. Continuous R&D in combination with wide scale implementation is needed to improve their reliability.

Experimental comparison of the performance of two reverse osmosis desalination units equipped with different energy recovery devices

AbstractSea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination constitutes a successful technology for covering local fresh water supply shortage in many areas of the world and especially in isolated areas such as islands and coastal regions. SWRO units can be combined with renewable energy (RE) technologies such as photovoltaic and wind generators. Small-scale SWRO units combined with energy recovery devices can decrease drastically the energy consumption of the SWRO units. Furthermore, it is proven that the operation of a desalination unit in part-load conditions can result in lower specific energy consumption compared to continuous full-load operation. This paper presents an experimental comparison between two small-scale SWRO units equipped with different energy recovery devices in order to lower the specific energy consumption. The first SWRO unit consists of a hydraulic energy recovery device of the Clark pump type which plays also the role of the high-pressure pump in a conventional reverse osmosis unit. Th...